I am in my 3rd semester of an ADN program. This semester we are doing Pedi, OB, and Psych. Right now we are in the midst of the Pedi rotation at the local Children's hospital.
On Friday, I was assigned to work with a nurse that our instructor had previously warned us about. We were told that if we had to do any procedures to get the instructor - not this nurse - to go in with us. Well, I had to give medications to a CF pt via g-tube. One of the medications was Guaifenesin 600 mg - aka Humibid LA. All drug books that I referenced stated not to crush or chew this medication, so needless to say, she could not get it in her g-tube. I told the pt, who told me that they "ALWAYS" crush it and put it in her g-tube. So I called the pedi pharmacist, who told me "ABSOLUTELY DO NOT CRUSH the medication." So I told the nurse with whom I was assigned. Her reply? "Crush it and give it in her g-tube."
Thankfully, my instructor was present when I told her that as a student I could NOT crush the medication. So, guess what she did? Crushed it and gave it via g-tube.
My question is... what's the point of having the pharmacy for a reference if the nurse(s) aren't going to follow their advice? And to make matters worse, this is a teaching hospital and an entire table of residents was sitting there. Any of them could have changed the order to a liquid form to be given more frequently. She didn't even bother to ask.
We won't be going back to their unit next week, so I won't run into her again. I hope that my instructor will bring it to the unit manager's attention. Someone needs to know about the dangerous practices of this nurse.
